Blake Griffin announced his retirement from basketball on Tuesday afternoon. The 35-year-old spent his final season as a pro with the Boston Celtics last year.
Fans had hoped that Griffin may have come back to the team for another championship push with their final roster spot open for the majority of the year.
According to the former No. 1 overall pick, the fans weren’t the only ones who hoped he’d come back.
During an appearance on “Pardon My Take,” Griffin revealed that he had a standing offer to return to the Celtics throughout the season.
“I kind of left it open, for a while,” he said. “I did have sort of a standing offer to go back to Boston. I remember the end of December hit and I called Brad Stevens and I was like, ‘man, I really appreciate it.’ I had communication with him the whole time. I just wasn’t there, man. Something changed and I knew when something changed like that it was time to be done.”
Unfortunately, it just sounds like Griffin had had enough of the travel and strenuous schedule that comes with the NBA, otherwise, the Celtics, and their fans, would’ve gotten their wish.
“Yeah, I mean if I had gone anywhere, I would’ve gone back to Boston,” Griffin explained. “I love those guys and I’m pulling for them and they’ve got a great shot. But, it was just time for me to be done. I wouldn’t have been able to give what I should be able to give to a team if my heart wasn’t in it.”
Griffin was a key member of last season’s Celtics squad. Though he didn’t log a ton of minutes, he was well-liked by all of his teammates and was simply, great for the vibes. He also did a solid job of stepping in when Al Horford or Robert Williams III needed the night off.
“Great teammate,” Horford told reporters at Tuesday’s Celtics practice, (h/t NBCS Sports Boston). “Everybody here, we love Blake. The year that he was here, he made it enjoyable for me. It was fun to come into work with him every day and getting to talk to him and getting to know him with some of the things off the court and him as a person. Just a great guy.”
Griffin wrapped his chat about the Cs but voicing his appreciation for Stevens and the organization.
“I’m super appreciative of Boston and all of those guys, Brad and all of those guys, but it was time.”
